Deer sign everywhere... yet I cant seem to find them? What gives?
 

I'm in New Hampshire and I am hunting on a family friends 26 acre plot. It is pretty brushy and has a small pond within it. I am the only one hunting it besides my father and the guy is a pretty private guy and doesnt allow anyone on his property so pressure is pretty much zero. Almost everywhere you look there are either tracks, deer dropings, scrapes, rubs on small trees. I have found a few bedding areas. I have Hunting from a tree stand overlooking the pond with lots of sign. I have hunted a open area with a ground blind. Hunted just sitting next to a stump being completely still for hours.... tried calling with bleats and grunts. Hunting from 6am-4:30pm. The guy who owns the land has said its probable just timing and I agree, but with all this sign to see nothing? What gives? Im not impatient. I love nature and seeing something without even necessarily taking it would make the hunt succesful to me. Timing? should I try anything else? I dont really want to go out in the trees to early before light as there is a mother bear that is pretty good size with two cubs living on or around the land. Thanks, James

You may be hunting in a place where the deer only, or almost only, visit at night. Deer don't have to stop by the pond to drink all day.

You might be better to set up on their route back to the bedding area in the morning. Or figure out where they're eating and set up along the route to that in the afternoon. It's not enough to get where deer are. You have to get where they are likely to be at the time of day that you are there.

Also, trying the calling might not be helping. I assume you're trying to draw in a buck. If there's one within earshot and he decides to check you out, he's likely to circle downwind for the approach. In which case, scent becomes a big deal and sitting on the ground is far from ideal. I personally would shy away from calling while on the ground. Deer can small and hear so well that they can pinpoint you too easily and steer clear.

Got a trail cam? Try that you may find what times they are moving and which way.

I wash all my clothes in special detergant and use the scent free wash in the shower. So Im doing my best on that. I also used a scent drag with doe in heat on it to get to where I am going. I have to hunt buck because there wasn't any doe season in my area.
I will try not calling tomorrow and see if that helps.

sadly I dont. Its on my list for next year...:(

I would try using the scent drag as you enter the woods upwind of where you suspect the bucks might be traveling. Then put the drag about 4-5 feet hanging from a tree. Then set up downwind of that and downwind of where you suspect the deer to move.

For example, if the wind was from the north, the "top/northern" item should be your entrance and scent placement (a doe trail would be a good choice). The middle place should be the buck's likely path. The southern/bottom place is you!

try using pumpkins smash them up good and throw them around and try going out earlier like 5:00 to get setteled and let everything around you get settled

i heard the deer will be back from the bahama's in a few days..so after they un-pack and get rested, it'll be back to work for them, so be patient!!

A trail cam will help you out a whole lot like Woodmaster said. It is a sound investment and I would highly recommend it.

Not sure when your season starts but gun season in Michigan opened November 15th. Per the Solunar Tables (which is when I decide to hunt), the first several days had no feeding cycles at dawn. A minor AM feeding time is a day or so away, and the major feeding cycle in the morning doesn't occur until the start of next week. I expect sightings to pick up then.